The Bulletin | Fall/Winter 2023

The Fall/Winter 2023 issue of The Bulletin will arrive in mailboxes in early December. Look for yours!

 

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ABOUT THE COVER

Illustration by Hannah Gerig Meyer ’08

When looking back on history, it can be tempting to think that progress and transformation has been easy, fast, painless and linear. And yet, change is rarely any of those, including at Goshen College.

Rather, true transformation is messy, conflictual, slow, circular and sometimes very painful. It involves many voices, stories and perspectives — each unique, yet also overlapping and intersecting with each other. There are torn edges, missing faces and obscured details. And, there is courage, creativity and beauty woven through it all.

Click here for a quick guide to the historic Goshen College photos on the cover.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Subversive ideas that have made us better
By Rebecca J. Stoltzfus ’83, president

Discussing the new Goshen College history book, “A Mennonite College for Everyone(?),” President Stolzfus explores the transformative changes and challenges faced by Goshen College in the areas of race, religion, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity and politics, highlighting the role of students and faculty in shaping the institution and broadening the horizons of the entire community.

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FEATURES

A Mennonite College for Everyone(?)
By John D. Roth ’81, professor emeritus of history

In this excerpt from the epilogue of “A Mennonite College for Everyone(?),” John D. Roth ’81, professor emeritus of history, discusses the importance of “right remembering” in reframing the institutional saga of Goshen College. Roth suggests that Goshen College has transformed from a place of comfort for a specific demographic into a more welcoming community, acknowledging the challenges and tensions involved in this process.

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Our 2023 Alumni Awardees

Read the stories of five alumni honored this year for their lives and
commitments to the college’s core values: Daryl Abbott ’69, Pauline (Graybill) Kennel ’53, Jeremy Pope ’11, Melissa (Lehman) Gillette ’05 and Geof Landis ’76

 

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LASTING TIES

Making room for others
By Joe Springer ’80, curator, Mennonite Historical Library

In 1969, Daniel Leatherman, an associate professor at Goshen College, resigned to create a vacancy for the hiring of the college’s first African-American professor, Lee Roy Berry. Leatherman’s decision played a pivotal role in the college’s promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.